Home Selling: 7 Home Staging Mistakes

If you want to sell your home, you probably already know that it should be staged carefully so that the buyers can easily imagine themselves in their future home. Since most real estate agents agree that a well-staged Jupiter home may sell faster and for more money, avoid making these seven staging mistakes that could cost you a sale or additional money in your pocket.

1. Using Untrained Staging Consultants

Your sister-in-law staged her home all by herself and it sold quickly, so you think you can save some money by relying on her experience instead of hiring a professional. This is probably not a good idea.

Selling a home takes real expertise so you need someone who can help you stage your home who has the experience to make your home stand out to compete with other nearby homes on the market. Don't confuse a home seller's (or your sister-in-laws) good fortune in selling their home with good decision-making, or you might be stuck in your current home for a far longer time than you expect.

2. Staging the Home Without a Plan

When you plan to sell your home, you and your real estate agent will likely have some specific ideas in mind to get the attention of buyers who might be interested in the style & features of your home. The audience you target may depend on the type of home, its location and proximity to shopping and other venues, as well as the individual amenities of the property.

Stage the home to set the scene for your target buyer. For example, as a selling point for a home or condo in Singer Island, if it has a great backyard, then move the furniture away from the window, cut the hedges and open the drapes so that a buyer can't miss seeing the backyard. If you decorate to just make the place look nice, you miss a big opportunity to allow your staging to complete the package for your overall marketing plan.

3. Fail to Listen to Expert Recommendations

It is sometimes difficult to have someone come into your home and point out what may may need to be done to stage your home correctly. You might take it personally, but let it roll of your back. Real estate and staging experts know what buyers are looking for, and what actions will help your home sell the fastest, and at the highest price. Staging consultants are trained to look at your home, determine its benefits and disadvantages, and offer you staging advice based on that.

The goal of home staging is to help future buyers see themselves living in the home. One of the biggest problems staging consultants face is persuading their clients to depersonalize their home. For example, you may love your display of rare Norwegian rag-dolls scattered throughout your home - but a buyer may not. And the display may be taking attention away from positive aspects of the home. So if you fail to follow the stagers expert recommendations, you may inadvertently alienate buyers who cannot look beyond these type of personal items, photos, memorabilia or unusual items or design choices.

4. Adding Too Much Empty Space to a Room

For staging your home, less is definitely more. However, inexperienced stagers will often carry this too far. You may not want to completely empty the home, because it may make it more difficult for prospective buyers to imagine how furniture will look in a particular room. Try and create an ideal layout for the home by making sure to keep the decor simple and emphasize spaciousness. The opposite is true as well - the more you put in a room, the more it appears cluttered and crowded.

5. Using Trendy Upgrades

Chances are quite good that your home could use a fresh coat of paint. Beyond that, talk to your real estate agent and your staging consultant about the types of upgrades that your home actually needs in order to sell the home.

You might be surprised to learn that many upgrades for your home, especially the more costly varieties, may not give you an equal return on investment when you sell. If you make the mistake of gutting a kitchen to make it modern and trendy, when it may not really need it, you may find yourself spending money and time that was unnecessary.

6. Hiding Problems vs. Fixing Them

Staging is designed to draw focus to the wonderful parts of the home, while minimizing attention to disadvantages like small bedrooms or a tiny yard. Staging was never meant to hide problems with the home. Damaged walls should be fixed, not simply painted. While broken and cracked windows should be replaced, not hidden with drapes or blinds.

Invest your money into resolving issues with the home, especially those that are likely to come up during a home inspection. Remember that staging isn't about hiding problems, it's about highlighting the positives of your home.

7. Staging for the Season

Many sellers stage their home for the season of the year. For example, your holiday or Christmas tree may take up most of your Palm Beach home's living room space and greenery and garland may cover your fireplace mantle. Though you may have decorated for the season this way every year, it may not be the best staging to sell the home. When staging, living rooms should look as large as possible while fireplace mantles should usually have a minimum amount of decor. Stage to sell, not for the season.

Staging your home can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, because every aspect may seem to be subjective. By following expert advice and making your home look smart and accessible, you can avoid these staging mistakes and sell your home quickly.